Science fiction can be a perfect genre for ensemble casts. Look at movies like The Thing or even Sunshine, which I still think is a great movie that no one talks about. These films work because they rely on a somewhat larger cast of characters and the paranoia that comes with it. As with most things in science fiction, I love films like these.
But during this Halloween season, I’ve been on the lookout for something different entirely. Primarily, I’ve been seeking small casts, typically one or two characters, that evoke the equally paranoid feeling of being trapped in space. Personally, I can’t think of anything as terrifying as that. An endless void of dark, cold space with no one to rely on but yourself. I know I wouldn’t make it, but I’ve compiled a great list of sci-fi films with characters who try their best to do just that.
Gravity
Rent or buy Gravity on Amazon Prime Video
While Gravity was critically acclaimed when it was first released, its reputation has cooled somewhat over the years. This is mainly due to its lack of scientific accuracy, which I suppose is fair. For me, that doesn’t matter too much, because the harrowing sense of loneliness and the thrilling depths that main character Ryan (Sandra Bullock) goes to in order to survive carries Gravity very well.
This is easily one of Bullock’s best performances, and she does it without much in the way of other cast members to work off of or even with much in the way of dialogue. It’s a testament to both her skill and director Alfonso Cuarón’s ability to extract every ounce of tension from each scene. Gravity is still a fantastic cinematic experience, scientifically accurate or not.
Moon
Watch Moon on Tubi
Moon is one of those great movies that only feature one actor, give or take a voiced robot, and it’s easily one of the best sci-fi movies ever made. Sam Rockwell technically plays multiple versions of the same character, but you can feel each of his clones’ desperation to escape his moon base and get back home to an Earth he’s never actually been to. It’s an acting showcase for Rockwell, and he knocks it out of the park.
But what I really appreciate about Moon is that it doesn’t completely give in to the hopelessness of the situation. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a very depressing film, but it deals just as much with belief in finding a way out as it does with its weighty themes of the ethics of cloning and what it means to be a real human being. I find something new each time I watch this movie, and I continue to sing its praises whenever I can.
Ad Astra
Watch Ad Astra on fuboTV
Yes, I know, Ad Astra has plenty of cast members other than Brad Pitt’s main character. But the film is at its best when it’s focused solely on Pitt’s Roy character, traveling through space alone, looking for his father. But more importantly than that, Ad Astra is focused on the concept of what it means to be alone in the universe. What if alien life didn’t actually exist in our known universe, and we were truly the only intelligent life?
What a fascinatingly horrifying concept that is. And yet, for as much as Ad Astra frames this as a shocking revelation, it’s also interested in using that information to make humanity better. I know that many viewers didn’t connect with Ad Astra, but for me, it’s one of the most beautiful sci-fi films made in the last 20 years, and it’s the sense of loneliness that works so well.
The Martian
Watch The Martian on Netflix
Again, technically, there are other cast members in this film, but they’re all separated from Matt Damon’s character Mark Watney, who is trapped alone on Mars. The goal is to bring him home, and The Martian approaches this problem using the power of very thoroughly researched science. This is a film that leans heavily on Damon’s performance as he tries to figure out the problem of not only getting home, but surviving on Mars long enough to be rescued.
Damon is not only up to the challenge, he’s the reason the film works at all. The book this film is based on is one of my favorite sci-fi novels, and Damon is exactly how I imagined Watney to be. Part genius, part sarcastic wisecracker, it’s fun to watch Damon balance those personality traits while also putting him through some pretty frightening survival scenarios. The Martian is brilliant stuff, and further proof of director Ridley Scott’s genius.
Films about being trapped in space can really reveal the depths of the human will to survive
I think what I appreciate most about these films is how well they can showcase just how stubborn humans can be. We may be a fragile species overall, but our will to survive any situation is nearly unmatched. We may be flawed, but these films are mostly interested in showing the best of us, even when the situation seems hopeless.
Hopefully, these films capture you in the same way they have me. But if you’re looking for something a little more centered in the spooky season, these horror movies are truly the stuff nightmares are made of.
